Breaking News

Our view: Increase in pregnant mothers smoking alarming

The Midland Daily News

Published 11:15 am, Sunday, November 27, 2016

A quote in a front page story about smoking by pregnant mothers in Friday’s Midland Daily News told the story.

“With all of the information out there on the risks of smoking, the increase in pregnant women who are smoking in this day and age is particularly startling. With these numbers, you would think it is 1986, not 2016,” said Alicia Guevara Warren, Kids Count in Michigan project director at the Michigan League for Public Policy.

The Michigan League for Public Policy’s Right Start: 2016 annual report on maternal and child health reviewed eight indicators on maternal and child health from 2008 to 2014 for the state, by race, by county and for 22 of the state’s larger cities and townships.

In Midland County, the number of expectant mothers who reported smoking while pregnant increased by 13 percent between 2008 and 2014. In 2008, 177 Midland County mothers, or 21 percent of all births, reported smoking during pregnancy. That number increased to 204 and 24 percent of births in 2014. The rate of women who reported smoking while pregnant spiked by 18 percent statewide. Smoking during pregnancy is associated with preterm births, babies with low birthweight, infant deaths and other complications.

Guevara Warren blamed the increase in smoking by expectant mothers on budget cuts at the state level.

“Funding and programming cuts clearly have consequences, and the state urgently needs to reinvest in evidenced-based smoking prevention and cessation efforts for pregnant women,” she said.

The Michigan League reported that in the 2017 budget, including state and federal funds (excluding Medicaid dollars), smoking prevention and cessation initiatives were funded at $3.78 million, which is down 34 percent from budget year 2008.

Certainly this report should get the attention of state lawmakers in Lansing, and they should look at whether cuts that have been made in the budget are now reaping negative consequences. Midland County health officials also should be concerned by this report and begin exploring what more can be done locally. As Guevara Warren said, these smoking numbers seem more consistent with a time long ago when the habit was more socially acceptable and the health effects were still being debated. Going backwards on this critical health issue simply is not acceptable.